


Do Zombies Play Truth or Dare?

by 5ThornsOfARose



Category: Zombies Run!
Genre: Adult Content, Fanon, Gen, Mild Language, No Spoilers, One Shot, Season/Series 01, Silly, Truth or Dare
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-19
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-24 23:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14366265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/5ThornsOfARose/pseuds/5ThornsOfARose
Summary: The ladies and honorary ladies of Abel Township decided a girls' night is needed. They plan to hang out, relax, and chat, but a little too much to drink and the group of guys crashing their party make for a much more interesting night. Who says truth or dare is a kid's game? And is there a place for it in the zompocalypse? Yes. Yes, there is.No spoilers, but set sometime in Season 1. Includes characters mentioned in ZR5k Trainer.Just a light-heart, funny piece.





	Do Zombies Play Truth or Dare?

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first ZR fic I've posted! Taken from a larger work I have written, I cleaned it up to make it more of a one-shot piece. Runner Five is gender neutral, and there is definitely Five/Sam flirting/relationship.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

                The tent looked tidier than usual, and Five couldn’t help but smile slightly at their effort. They were always proud of their neatness, however, in light of the current situation, tidiness had, unfortunately, been placed on the back burner. Being so busy with their duties at Abel, by the time Five made it back to their tent, they were usually too exhausted to tend to their room.

                Five knew Jody – as well as the other Runners of Abel – was in the same boat. Her side of the tent had looked equally disheveled, but if there was ever a time to straighten things up, tonight would be the night.

                Five had been sharing a tent with Jody practically since they crash-landed at Abel Township. After Five was treated and released by Dr. Myers for an ankle sprain – still a miracle that’s the _only_ injury sustained after the helicopter went down – Five was informed that their temporary lodgings would be in a tent with Jody Marsh. Luckily for both of them, Five and Jody bonded instantly. Nearly six months later, they continued to share the space.

                And now, they were throwing their first ever ‘Abel Township G _irls’_ Night’ together.

                “I know everyone already ate at dinner, but ya think we have enough snacks?” Jody asked, the anxious excitement evident in her tone.

                “I think so,” Five replied with a light chuckle. “I convinced Sam to give me some of his secret stash of curly wurlies, and I did keep one bag of chips from that scavenge run we did the other day. I mean, I don’t think anyone is expecting to eat here. But Jack said he was going to bring some snacks, too.”

                “That’s great!” Jody exclaimed, smoothing out the sheet on her air mattress that now sat near the middle of the floor, serving as seating for their soon-to-arrive guests. “I’m excited! It’s been a while since we had a party.” She thought for a moment then shrugged just as voices were heard from outside.

                “Knock, knock,” Sara said, and a moment later, she, Maggie, and Janine made their way through the tent flap, instantly making the little tent feel a lot smaller.

                “Welcome, to The Abel _Girls’_ Night, ladies,” Jody said with a big smile, immediately eying the bottles of wine Sara held in her hands.

                “Couldn’t come empty-handed,” Sara explained, holding up the bottles. “I hope you all like either Merlot or chardonnay.”

                “Booze is booze,” Jody chuckled.

                “Works for me,” Five replied, rummaging through the room for anything they could use as cups. “Dr. Myers couldn’t make it?”

                “Unfortunately, no,” Sara replied. “She’s still watching over a couple patients with cold symptoms…”

                “Hopefully, cold symptoms,” Janine said.

                “That’s too bad,” Five replied, still searching, but realizing now it might be in vain.

                “I’m excited for this,” Maggie said, plopping down on the air mattress and getting comfortable. “It’s been forever since I had a girls’ night!”

                “Same here,” Jody agreed. “Sorry, Jack should be here with…”

                “Hey! Sorry I’m late,” Jack said, running into the tent, winded.

                “Not at all!” Maggie replied. “We all just got here.”

                “Oh! I forgot the chairs,” Jack continued after he looked around and saw the seating arrangements.

                “That’s all right,” Five said, taking a break from their search for cups to grab their sleeping bag. “We can sit on this.” Five threw the black and blue sleeping bag down onto the floor, the materials rubbing together to create a light swish. Jody grabbed the other end and straightened it out to run parallel to her mattress.

                “There. Now we can all face each other and chat.” Jody pushed the solitary bag of chips to be centered between the seats.

                “Wait, sorry,” Janine broke in, her eyes moving from Five to Jack then to Jody. “I thought this was a girls’ night…?” The sudden icy glares she received from everyone in the tent was not lost on Janine at all. Her cheeks immediately reddened and she brought a hand up to her mouth quickly as she let out a soft, “S-sorry….”

                “There are _honorary_ girls here at Abel, Janine,” Jody said, shaking her head.

                “Sorry! I didn’t mean anything by it,” Janine murmured, instantly shrinking up against the wall of the tent, her face still colored red.

                “No worries,” Jack replied with an easy smile. “We’re all here to have a good time! Let’s get to it!” He held up a package of cookies with a shrug to show Five. “I did remember the cookies, and I may have had a couple on the way here…” Five laughed, their mood instantly improving by Jack’s buoyant attitude. Five indicated to leave the remaining cookies by the chips, and Jack did so after taking at least one more.

                “I’ve actually never really done a girls’ night before,” Janine admitted. All eyes turned back on her as she stood near the tent flap still looking embarrassed. It was clear that Janine was uncomfortable and a bit out of place, and Five wondered if that had to do with her tactless comment or the fact that Janine was actively trying to socialize with people…for fun. “We did have that party… Well, _you_ all had that party once – I think it was before you arrived, Five. But is a girls’ night the same thing? What do we actually _do_?”

                “Well, it’s just for us to have some time together,” Jody replied with a little shrug. “It’s not as crazy as that party.” She and Jack began to chuckle after an exchange of glances. A smile appeared on Five’s lips while observing their friends remember what must have been a fun time before Five graced them with their presence. They made a mental note to ask them about it later.

                “I wasn’t at the party,” Janine commented.

                “R-right…” Jack replied, ceasing his laughter and scratching the back of his head awkwardly.

                “I’m sure it’ll be chill comparatively,” Five said as Jack nodded in agreement.

                “’Chill…?’” Janine repeated, the word – in this context – foreign on her tongue. Jack and Five exchanged a quick glance as Sara began to chuckle.

                “You know, Janine. Just hang out, chat, eat, drink…” Sara explained as she finished uncorking the two bottles of wine with her trusty army knife. She took a swig from the Merlot, then offered it to Janine who shook her head emphatically ‘no’ while Sara continued to laugh. “Chardonnay, then?” Janine continued shaking her head as Sara shrugged and passed the bottles around.

                “We can say whatever we want here and know that it won’t leave this room,” Maggie continued, diving into the bag of chips while Jack helped himself to another chocolate chip cookie and some red wine before taking a seat on the sleeping bag.

                “Girl word of honor,” Jack added, his comment muffled by the half-chewed cookie in his mouth.

                “Exactly,” Sara said, sitting down next to Maggie on the mattress. “Come on, Janine. Don’t be shy. Stay a while.” She patted the spot next to her, and Janine sighed, moving to take a seat. “Five, you going to join the party, too?”

                “Of course,” Five replied, finally giving up on the cup endeavor and instead adding the stash of curly wurlies to the snack pile in the center of the seating for anyone to grab. Five and Jody sat on the sleeping bag next to Jack to face the others.

                “All right. What shall we talk about first? There _is_ a shortage of…” Janine began seriously.

                “Oh! Lighten _up_ , Janine,” Sara said, cutting the somber woman off with a hearty laugh. Sara passed the chardonnay to Maggie.

                “You just _talk_ ,” Jack chimed in.

                “That’s what I _was_ …”

                “Not about serious stuff,” Jody said, cutting Janine off. “This is supposed to be a fun night! Usually, ya go out with ya friends and talk about work or school. Maybe go see a movie or go for drinks. You can gossip or talk about where ya like to get your nails or hair done. Or your favorite books and movies!”

                “Maybe even talk about _boys_ …” Jack said in a giggling, teasing tone while everyone chuckled. He took the Merlot from Sara and took a swig.

                “Exactly! Just fun stuff,” Jody exclaimed. “Okay, since we can’t actually talk about where we get our nails done, how about we say something we miss from the old days? _Not_ serious stuff, like family and friends, obviously… We’re keeping this fun. Just material stuff that ya miss.”

                “Well, I miss snowboarding, that’s for sure,” Sara said, taking them all by surprise.

                “You used to snowboard?” Jack asked, astonished.

                “Yeah, and I was pretty damn good at it.” Sara took another sip of the red then handed it over to Jody with a chuckle.

                “That’s boss!” Jody exclaimed. “I’ve always wanted to snowboard. Never got ‘round to doin’ it.” She took a sip, made a face, and passed it over to Jack. “That’s _not_ my favorite.”

                “Try the chardonnay,” Maggie suggested, handing Jody the bottle. Jody drank, shook her head, and handed it to Five. “Sorry, dear,” Maggie shrugged as Five drank some of the white. “Lesser of two, I guess...”

                “I’ll make do,” Jody replied in a sigh trying the Merlot again when Jack offered. “ _Bleh_! So, I would say I miss my knittin’, but I still kinda do that every once-in-a-while. Still comin’ across yarn, luckily. But I’m gonna go with missin’ getting’ a pedicure. I think we could all use that right about now. I miss that and pizza,” Jody answered.

                “Oh, me too!” Five said, offering the bottle to Janine. She declined, so Five took another sip before saying, “My mouth is watering just thinking about a simple cheese pizza. I don’t even need anything else on it. I won’t be picky right now. Just cheese will do.” Jody, Maggie, and Sara laughed, all agreeing.

                “The simple things in life…” Jack said, dreamily.

                “I also miss this cake I used to get back home. It was honestly the best thing I’d ever tasted.” Five’s comment launched a quick debate over what kind of cake is better – chocolate or white – with chocolate being the winner despite Five’s vote for the latter. Five then turned to settle their dark eyes back on the silent observer of the group. “What about you, Janine?” Five asked, trying to engage the tense woman and turn her into a participant.

                “Um… I guess I miss my privacy…” Janine began, but was cut off when Jack made a buzzer sound.

                “Too serious!” Jody commented, taking the bottle of wine when Sara handed it to her. She took another quick sip, then passed it to Jack.

                “It’s supposed to be _fun_ ,” Maggie said. “Plus, it’s not a secret that you miss privacy. Five, ya gonna hog the whole bottle or what?” Maggie chuckled, taking it from Five with a wink then turning to Janine. “Drink.”

                “No, thank you,” Janine replied simply.

                “C’mon, Janine,” Sara urged. “You need to relax a bit. This is supposed to be a fun night.”

                “All right. Fine,” Janine agreed in an exasperated sigh. As she took the bottle from Maggie and took a big sip, the rest of the group cheered.

                “Janine,” Five said with a small smile, wondering what kind of personality she was while intoxicated. “So, what _do_ you miss?”

                “Um… All right. I miss my flower garden.” Janine looked around at the group for approval, and they all nodded. “All the soil is used for food now, which is understandable, of course, but I used to have a really nice, big garden.” She sighed, then hiccupped.

                “Drunk already?” Sara chuckled, nudging Janine gently. Janine covered her mouth quickly and shook her head.

                “I’m sure we can find some land to plant a garden in,” Five said.

                “No. It’s quite all right,” Janine replied quickly. “The soil should be used for food. Maybe, one day, if we can expand the Base somehow, I can section off some land for a little garden.”

                “That would be nice,” Jody sighed with a smile.

                “Well, I’ll tell you what I miss,” Jack said eagerly. “I miss watching TV shows. I have so many shows I want to know the ending to!” They all began going through their list of shows, all the while still passing around the bottles… Five wondered if anyone else was already feeling it. Despite only having a couple of sips tonight, Five felt a little lightheaded and loose but, on the whole, good. It had been months since Five had any alcohol, and apparently, that had taken a toll on their tolerance.

                “Damn. Empty,” Sara said eventually, shaking the bottle.

                “Ours, too,” Five said, watching as Janine drained the remaining white.

                 “But there’s something I bet we all miss more than anything we’ve said already.” Maggie was saying with a knowing smile as she swayed slightly on the mattress.

                “What would that be?” Sara laughed, intrigued.

                “Sex!” Maggie exclaimed. Everyone began to howl with laughter.

                “I _do_ miss that,” Janine commented. She immediately covered her mouth and blinked a couple times, shocked that she actually admitted that out loud. The group bellowed with laughter.

                “Can’t say that _I_ miss it,” Jack said with a wicked laugh.

                “Well, you are lucky!” Jody laughed as she lightly punched his arm.

                “Tell me about it,” Maggie laughed. “We can’t all have a boyfriend like Jack does. Who would have known the zombie apocalypse would mean a dry spell for us?”

                “Ohhh! I’ve got a wonderful idea!” Jody suddenly said.

                “I’m not having sex with you, Jody,” Maggie replied quickly in a laugh. “Well, okay, maybe…”

                “Oh, come off it!” Jody howled, pushing Maggie away when she lunged at her with a loud giggle and grabby hands. The rest of the group roared at the sight.

                “What’s your idea, Jody?” Janine asked through laughter and more hiccups. Five watched the normally stoic woman with a wide smile. Janine was _definitely_ tipsy already.

                “We can play Truth or Dare!” Jody began laughing, extremely pleased with her idea.

                “That’s for kids,” Sara said, standing up in a stretch. She was clearly the most sober one of the group; Five could tell by the way Sara spoke. Everyone else was already talking and laughing a little too loud, Five included.

                “Oh, come _on_ , Sara! Don’t go just yet!” Jody exclaimed, practically jumping at the tall blonde.

                “I’m not leaving,” Sara replied, steadying Jody with a chuckle. “Just was going to hunt us down some more drinks. I was going to see if I could bribe Simon into letting me have one of the bottles of whiskey he’s hoarding. Although, maybe you bunch don’t need any more to drink…”

                “Out of curiosity,” Janine said, grabbing everyone’s attention. She gave a little hiccup, then continued, “Why couldn’t the guys – the _other_ guys – be invited to this? So far, we really haven’t discussed anything that was for,” she air quoted, “ _girls_ _only_.”

                “The guys are such a handful,” Maggie said in a mixture of a sigh and chuckle.

                “Tell me ‘bout it,” Jody agreed, dropping back down to her seat on the sleeping bag. “If Simon were here, he would try to turn anything we do into a strippin’ game.” Jody burst out laughing, with Five, Maggie, and Jack right along with her.

                “But we’re just talking,” Janine pointed out.

                “Strip-talking,” Jack suggested.

                “Anyone who speaks has to remove an item of clothing,” Maggie continued, trying to impersonate Simon.

                “And Truth or Dare?” Janine asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.

                “Strip Truth or Dare,” Jody chuckled.

                “If you don’t answer a truth or do a dare, you have to take a piece of clothing off,” Five laughed. “Or, knowing Simon, maybe just completely disrobe.” Five shrugged as everyone chuckled.

                “Can you not answer?” Janine asked. “I’ve never played before.”

                “No, you have to answer,” Jody said while Janine furrowed her eyebrows. “Don’t be nervous. Watch. It’s fun! Five, truth or dare?”

                “Oh…um truth,” Five laughed, taken a bit off guard.

                “Oh! I have a _great_ question!” Maggie blurted out before Jody could respond.

                “So do I,” Jody said.

                “What’s your real name?” Maggie asked quickly. Five watched as all eyes laser focused on them.

                “That _is_ a good question,” Sara said, sitting back down with an intrigued smile on her lips. “Your Mullins’ ID was smudged on that part…”

                “Yeah, why _do_ you insist on us calling you by your Runner number?” Jack asked as if the thought just occurred to him for the first time despite Five being at Abel for nearly six months already. “You have a name…”

                “Like a _real_ name,” Maggie said, tucking a lock of her curly auburn hair behind her ear. “You can’t tell us your parents just _happened_ to name you ‘Five.’”

                Five chuckled, beginning to feel a tad bit nervous. They scratched the back of their head before turning to Jody and asking, “What was your question?”

                “I was gonna ask what your feelings are towards Sam,” Jody replied with a wide smile as she wiggled her eyebrows. Five felt their face go hot. Of course, Jody already knew what Five felt for Sam – they were roommates, after all – but now she was trying to make Five admit it to the others. “But if ya want to tell us your real name instead….” Jody’s wide smile turned teasing.

                “Oh! Answer Jody’s!” Maggie exclaimed.

                “I think I still want to know what Five’s real name is…” Janine offered.

                “We can ask her on her next truth turn,” Sara explained, hushing Janine quickly. “Come on, Five. Give us your answer. What _are_ your feelings towards Mr. Yao?” The way Sara chuckled led Five to believe that everyone already _knew_ the answer.

                With all eyes on them, Five swallowed, then said, “He’s… nice.”

                “Boo!” Jody and Jack laughed.

                “That is such a crap answer,” Maggie cackled. “Tell us what you _really_ think! I mean, it’s pretty _obvious_ …”

                “ _Super_ obvious,” Jody agreed.

                “Could it _be_ more obvious…?” Jack chimed in.

                “Fine! _Fine_!” Five laughed, feeling their face grow even hotter, if that were possible. “I…think he’s really cute…”

                “ _Annnnd_?” Jack prompted.

                “And, I may have the smallest of crushes on him.”

                “Small crush my ass!”

                “Sara!” Five exclaimed.

                “What’s said here doesn’t leave this room; isn’t that right?” Janine said with a tiny smile. Five’s eyes widened in astonishment at Janine’s demeanor. “You can tell us, Five. We’re all friends.” Janine’s smile widened as she held the empty chardonnay bottle in her hand loosely.

                “Fine. I _do_ have a crush on him,” Five admitted, knowing that if they weren’t under the influence of alcohol, they probably wouldn’t have been so forthcoming.

                “ _Yeah_ , you do,” Maggie exclaimed.

                “Are you gonna tell him?” Jody asked.

                “Isn’t it one question per turn?” Five shot back with a laugh. As Jody gave a defeated sigh and rolled her eyes, Five turned to Janine. “Okay. So, Janine, truth or dare?”

                “Oh! Me?” Janine asked, looking nervous. She placed the bottle down on the floor and then took a deep breath before returning her gaze to meet Five’s. “Um… all right. Truth!”

                “Do you honestly like having us all here at your farmhouse...?”

                “Oh… That _is_ a serious question…” Janine started, looking nervous.

                “…Or do you want a piece of Simon?” Five added with a nonchalant shrug while Jack began to shake with laughter.

                “ _Oh_! I do like having you here,” Janine replied quickly, looking down at her hands as her face glowed bright red.

                “You can’t _lie_!” Jody laughed.

                “I’m not lying,” Janine urged. “Really, though. It’s funny because I’ve really been on my own nearly my whole life, and now I’m sharing my farmhouse with a whole town… a bunch of strangers really. We’ve all been thrown together in this crazy situation. But, I believe, we’re all here together for a reason. We’re _supposed_ to be here…to help each other out. Like a family…”

                “Janine…” Jody said softly as everyone’s laughter died down and a thoughtful tone set in the room. “That was so…touching.”

                “And I _do_ think Mr. Lauchlan is _quite_ attractive,” Janine added, burying her head in her hands in one sudden motion. It took the group a moment to realize exactly what Janine had just admitted. All at once, however, they began to howl with laughter, cheering, and hooting. “Okay, okay!” Janine tried to calm them.

                “Janine de Luca, you saucy girl,” Jack exclaimed.

                “I feel like we need to do something about this,” Five said, getting to their feet.

                “What? No!” Janine jumped up to her feet as well. “You said whatever was said at girls’ night, stays at girls’ night!” She panicked as everyone laughed. “I defended you! Please don’t tell him if he comes here tonight!”

                “Fine. We promise,” Sara laughed, trying to put the panicked woman at ease.

                “Wait…” Five started after a moment’s thought.

                “ _’If he comes here_ …?’” Jody finished, giving Janine a curious look. “What do ya mean by that?”

                “Oh, I ran into Mr. Lauchlan earlier this evening, after dinner,” Janine explained. “I told him we were having a party.”

                “You _told_ him?” Jody asked.

                “You told _Simon_ ,” Five followed up in amusement.

                “He asked me what I was doing tonight,” Janine answered simply. “Why? Was I not supposed to say anything?” And right on cue, commotion outside the tent caught their attention.

                “Is it Simon?” Jody asked as she, Sara, and Five moved to the front of the tent. Five stuck their head out of the flap to see then popped back in quickly, face red and eyes wide.

                “It is! And _Sam_ is with them!”

                “Maybe now’s your chance to confess,” Maggie chuckled, receiving a startled stare from Five.

                “Hello! Hello,” Simon said, entering the tent to find Five and Janine staring at him with flustered expressions, Jody looking irritated, and Sara, Jack, and Maggie giving amused smiles. Sam, Eugene, and Rajit followed Simon in and immediately came to a halt.

                “Uh… Hi,” Sam said, sensing the awkward air.

                “We brought whiskey…” Rajit said, raising the bottle as a peace offering.

                “Just what we needed,” Sara chuckled, moving out of the way and indicating for the guys to come in and make themselves comfortable.

                “Are we crashing the party?” Eugene asked hesitantly.

                “Not at all!” Maggie replied.

                “It was supposed to be _girls’_ night,” Jody said at the exact same time.

                “That’s what I thought. I remember Jack mentioning that. We can go,” Eugene said, halfway turning back.

                “No! Stay!” Jack said, running up and gently steering Eugene to the sleeping bag he had been sitting on. “Look, we have chips and curly wurlies.”

                “What about the cookies you took from our tent?” Eugene asked with a knowing smile on his lips as he crutched over.

                “I ate those already…” Jack mumbled.

                “Well, you had me at ‘curly wurlies,’” Sam said, also moving to the sleeping bag. “Oh, but it was girls’ night.” Sam hesitated on sitting and looked at Five for instruction. “We can go, if you want us to...?”

                “Stay,” Five said with a smile, recovering from their initial shock.

                “Welcome to the party!” Maggie giggled as she made room on the mattress. “Simon, why don’t you sit right here?” She patted an empty space between her and Janine.

                “I believe _Sara_ was sitting _there_ ,” Janine said quickly, her face looking a bit pinkish.

                “No. I’m good over here,” Sara replied with a devilish grin as she lingered by the tent flap with Rajit. She chuckled at the look Janine shot back at her. “Want to stretch my legs for a bit. Sorry, Rajit. No cups,” Sara informed when she noticed him looking around with the bottle in his hand.

                “Oh well. Share and share alike, right?” He grinned, then took a sip and handed it to Sara. After she drank, she began passing it around the room.

                “So what were you ladies doin’ before we came?” Simon asked, his sea green eyes sparkling with curiosity.

                “Playing Truth or Dare,” Maggie answered coyly.

                “Ah! How about we make it interestin’?” Simon grinned. “Strip Truth or Dare!” His suggestion was met with roaring laughter, and confusion soon outfitted his face. “What’d I say?”

                “He’s so predictable!” Jody howled.

                “I can’t believe it!” Maggie wailed.

                “You going to let me in on the joke?” Sam asked, leaning towards Five with an amused smile. Sam took the whiskey from Eugene with a nod, took a sip, then handed it to Five.

                “We just knew Simon would bring stripping into the game,” Five explained, feeling their face get warm again when they looked at Sam. Five took the bottle from Sam and smiled quickly, then dropped their gaze down to their hands for a moment before taking a big swig. Five coughed after the warm liquid slid down their throat, leaving a slight burning sensation in its wake. They passed the bottle along to Rajit.

                “Oh. Well, yeah,” Sam replied with a snort through Five’s little coughing fit. “He _is_ Simon, after all.” Sam patted Five’s back several time with a soft chuckle.

                “Well, don’t mind us,” Eugene said, obviously entertained. “Continue with your game.”

                “Whose turn was it?” Sara asked, squeezing next to Janine and effectively pushing her closer to Simon. “Sorry, gotta make room for Rajit, too.” She winked at Janine and shoved her over even more.

                “We left it with Janine,” Maggie said. “All right. You ask someone now.” Everyone watched as Janine – looking nervous – scanned the larger group for her target.

                “Five,” she started.

                “I _just_ went!” Five laughed. “You have to pick someone else.”

                “Why?”

                “Because everyone has to have a turn before we do repeats,” Five explained with a shrug.

                “Fine…” Five watched as Janine continued scanning the group. Finally, Janine turned and faced Jody. “Miss Marsh, truth or dare?”

                “Ohhh, I’ll be brave. I’ll go with dare!” Jody smiled widely, her neck already slightly blotchy from the alcohol.

                “Dare?” Janine questioned, looking from Jody to Five. “What do I ask for a dare?”

                “It’s her first time,” Sara explained to the newcomers with a light chuckle. “Here, Janine. Take a sip of whiskey, and we’ll confer.” Janine did so, and Sara passed the whiskey around to the rest of the group for what Five counted as the tenth time.

                “Hey, Five,” Sam whispered, leaning closer to Five once again. “What was your turn? Did you pick truth or dare?” Five’s eyes widened and felt their heart begin to speed up as they took in Sam’s eager face.

                “Uh…” Five’s mind went blank as they tried to think of literally anything to tell him besides the truth. “Well…”               

                “I don’t see how that’s funny, but fine…” Janine finally said after a moment of whispering with Sara.

                “Tell me later,” Sam whispered quickly, then returned his attention to Janine.

                Turning back to Jody, Janine continued, “Okay. I dare you to act like a cheerleader and make up a cheer about the Abel Runners.”

                “Oh! That’s not too bad,” Jody chuckled, standing up.

                “It has to rhyme,” Janine added.

                “Oh… Okay.” Jody looked a little less sure of herself as she moved to the front of the tent with all eyes on her. “Uh… Abel Runners…are the best! We…put others to the test,” Jody began in a peppy voice while holding imaginary pompoms and moving her arms about. “Maggie, Simon, Sara, and Five. This is a great time to be alive!” Her cheer was broken up by laughter – both hers and the rest of the groups. They clapped along in support as Jody began to finish up. “There’s no run we cannot do. We’ll make New Canton….” She stopped and thought for a moment before Sam, Jack, and Five offered help.

                “Eat their shoes!”

                “Into glue!”

                “Very blue!”

                “Yes!” Jody exclaimed. “We’ll make New Canton very blue!” She posed for a moment to finish, then began to laugh as she made her way to sit down. “Sorry, guys. Five’s made the most sense. New Canton is blue because _we’re_ better Runners!”

                “Nice job!” Five exclaimed, high-fiving Jody once she sat. Jody chuckled, then took the bottle when Jack offered it to her for a drink.

                “Okay, let’s see… Maggie,” Jody said. “Truth or dare?”

                “I think I’ll go with truth,” Maggie said. “I was gonna do dare, but I’m feeling less brave now.”

                “Remember, if you don’t answer, you have to take your clothes off,” Simon said with a wink.

                “We aren’t playin’ that way!” Jody snapped in a laugh. “Maggie. Truth…hmmm. Is it true that… No, wait.” Jody thought for a moment. “Tell us…”

                “I’m surprised Janine’s here,” Sam said in a hush as he turned to Five once again.

                “Tell me about it,” Five replied with a nod. They dropped their voice down even lower and whispered, “Jody invited her out of courtesy, and she actually showed up. I was sure she would tell us we were wasting our time. It’s nice to see her out in a social situation though. _And_ she might be _drunk_.” Five covered their mouth and giggled before snagging the whiskey from Eugene and taking another sip.

                “I think _you_ might be drunk,” Sam chuckled, taking a sip from the bottle after Five was done.

                “…just completely naked, head to toe,” Maggie was saying. “And I froze. And Ed is just standing there, mouth hanging open. Lesson learned there. I will never go to take a shower – no matter what time of night – unless I have at least _two_ towels with me now.”

                “I think we missed something,” Sam whispered. Five nodded in a giggle, slightly dumbfounded.

                “Jody asked Maggie what the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to her at Abel was,” Eugene informed them in a light chuckle. Five and Sam both nodded, the end of the story making sense now.

                “All right! Simon,” Maggie started, turning her attention to him.

                “Dare!” Simon said instantly and enthusiastically. Maggie began to laugh. “Make it a good one!” Simon smiled.

                “Ya can’t tell her what to _tell_ you to do,” Jody said, clearly irritated as she rolled her eyes in Simon’s direction.

                “I just want to get this party started, darlin’,” Simon said, eyeing Jody.

                “It _was_ started before you got here!”

                “I’ve got a good one for you, Si,” Maggie chuckled. “I dare you to sing a love ballad to Janine.” The tent fell silent as all eyes turned to Janine. She sat, wide eyed, face flushed, and completely rigid, clearly shocked by Maggie’s dare. A moment later, Five, Jody, Sara, Jack, and Maggie began to crack up.

                “I can do that,” Simon said, turning to Janine.

                “Do it like you mean it,” Maggie instructed, and Simon immediately took one of Janine’s hands in his own. The group chuckled as Janine seemed to grow even stiffer and Simon began.

                _“There's a new wind blowing like I've never known. I'm breathing deeper than I've even done. And it sure feels good to finally feel the way I do. And I want to love somebody, love somebody like you…”_

                “Uh! Is this a country song?” Sam exclaimed, shaking his head. Five elbowed him quickly to shut him up, then silently apologized for getting him in the side harder than they meant to. Five continued to watch as Simon drew closer and closer to Janine – really getting into the song – and she kept leaning further and further back until she bumped into Sara.

                “ _I wanna love somebody, love somebody like you!”_ Simon finished and everyone clapped through laughter while Janine continued to avoid eye contact with Simon. He kissed her hand quickly, causing her face to turn a slight pink, then he released her hand with a smile. “Okay. My turn!”

                “Uh, hold on a second here, Simon,” Sara said, glancing quickly at Five with a raised eyebrow. “I don’t know if that actually counted.”

                “Huh? Whadya mean?” He replied, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. “I sang.”

                “That song though,” Five said, catching on. “It was country.”

                “So?”

                “I’m not sure if an upbeat country song counts as a love ballad,” Sara said. “What do you think, Five?”

                “Nope. Definitely not,” Five replied right on cue. They shook their head to stress their point and held in a chuckle.

                “Yeah… That’s what I thought, too,” Sara said. “Sorry, Simon. You didn’t complete the dare.”

                “I think it counts,” Maggie offered, looking confused and glancing between Sara and Five.

                “Simon, by your own rules, you have to remove your clothing,” Five said over Maggie, unable to keep the smile from their lips. They locked eyes with Maggie for a moment and raised an eyebrow for emphasis.

                “Maggie said it counts, and she’s the one who…”

                “Nah. I agree with Sara and Five,” Maggie said, turning to Simon suddenly. “Sorry. Doesn’t count.”

                “What?” He exclaimed then shook his head with a slight chuckle. “Fine. I’m not shy.” Simon stood up quickly, pulling his tattered black wife-beater over his head and dropped it to the floor. He hesitated for a moment, then added. “And the trousers, too, for good measure.” He stepped out of his jeans quickly and flung them across the tent. “All right… Sara, truth or dare?”

                Five watched as Sara nudged Janine before responding. Janine’s blush deepened as she tried to inconspicuously regard Simon while he shamelessly sat next to her in only his briefs. Five smiled, shaking their head while chuckling lightly.

                “Want to explain why you want Simon in his shorts so badly?” Sam asked in a teasing whisper. Five noticed a hint of tension in Sam’s voice and began to chuckle while Simon dared Sara to admit that she actually wants to see him naked. Sara opted to remove her clothes instead after arguing that she can’t admit to something that isn’t true.

                “It’s not me!” Five replied through hushed laughter. “Promise you won’t say anything?” Five asked, turning to Sam and blushing when realizing how close he was. Five let out a nervous gasp, but when Sam nodded, they continued, “Janine thinks Simon’s hot. That’s why Maggie dared him to sing to her.”

                “Really? Janine! Ohhh! And that's why you and Sara said it didn’t count,” Sam gasped softly. Five watched in amusement as the wheels turned in Sam’s head. He turned to them with a smile and nod. “That’s kinda genius. You were trying to get him out of his clothes for Janine!”

                “It was all Sara, really,” Five replied, dropping their tone to a softer whisper and leaning a little closer. “I wish I was as clever as her. I didn’t think of it.”

                “I think you’re plenty clever,” Sam complimented, his warm breath tickling Five’s ear. Five felt goosebumps explode over their skin and did everything in their power not to shiver. With a look at Sam, Five once again felt their cheeks grow warm, then looked away when they felt a tap on their shoulder.

                “Whiskey?” Maggie asked, holding out the bottle. Five took it with a smile, but their attention quickly turned to Rajit who was doing cartwheels near the entrance of the tent.

                “What’s happening…?” Five asked.

                “Eugene dared Rajit to do cartwheels,” Maggie replied simply but in a giggle. “He went on a rant about how he was fit and could be a Runner if it weren’t for his foot issue – you know, the Manchester story – so Eugene dared him to do something to prove it. He’s not that bad.”

                “There!” Rajit finished with a pant. Everyone clapped. “Okay, so Jack. How about you?”

                “Hey,” Sam whispered in Five’s ear. “You never told me what your dare was.”

                “It was a truth,” Five blurted before they could stop.

                “What was it?”

                “Uh… Nothing special,” they said, feeling the heat rising to their head.

                “C’mon! You can tell me,” Sam prodded, actually nudging Five with a little smile. “Don’t be embarrassed. Did it have something to do with me?” Sam chuckled, but Five quickly turned to him with telling eyes. Sam grew quiet and his joking smile turned to one of intrigue. He then looked away abruptly when Jack called his name.

                “Sam! Sammy…” Jack slurred.

                “Are you drunk?” Eugene laughed, face red from a whiskey rush.

                “Nah. Nah, I’m fine. Perfectly fine,” Jack replied in a giggle. “Sam… so, Sam. It’s the moment of truth… or dare!” Jack burst out laughing.

                “That wasn’t even funny, you idiot,” Eugene laughed as well. The rest followed suit, entertained by the couple.

                “Okay.” He gave a side glance to Five, then looked back at Jack. “Okay. Okay,” Sam said rolling his neck and shaking his hands out. “This is the whiskey talking, but I’m gonna go with dare!”

                “Dare!” Jack exclaimed. “Oooohhhh. I had a truth all picked out for you.” Jack’s gaze shifted to Five momentarily, then returned to Sam immediately. “Okay, hold on. Gimme a moment.” He leaned over to Eugene and whispered something in his ear. Eugene began to laugh but shook his head.

                “Are you getting nervous?” Five asked Sam in a hushed tone as they watched the radio boyfriends whisper back and forth secretively.

                “Kinda. Yeah,” Sam replied, tearing his eyes off of the couple and meeting Five’s gaze. “I’m starting to rethink my answer.”

                “Be brave, Sam,” Five said in a mock seriousness as they placed a hand on his shoulder for support. “As long as it has nothing to do with zombies or Simon, it can’t be _that_ bad!”

                “Hey!” Simon huffed as Sam and Five laughed.

                “Okay! Got it!” Jack exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. “Sam Yao, I dare you to…” He paused and looked at Eugene.

                “Oh, right! Sorry,” Eugene said quickly, repeatedly slapping his hands down on his knees for a drum roll.

                “We, literally _just_ talked about this. How did you forget my drum roll?” Jack scolded lightly.

                “Sorry! Sorry!”

                “Okay,” Jack said, turning his attention back to the nervous Sam as he sat, anxiously awaiting his dare. “I dare you to kiss Five.”

                All eyes turned to Sam and Five as realization dawned on them. Five felt all the blood rush to their head and immediately burst into a fit laughter. At this moment, Five was glad they were too tipsy to actually be embarrassed.

                “Oh,” Sam said, hardly audible over Five’s uncontrollable amusement.

                “Of course!” Five exclaimed, causing Jody and Maggie to join in on the hilarity.

                “If you don’t want to…” Sam said softly, looking over at Five.

                “I’ll do it!” Everyone grew instantly silent, and Five looked at Simon in confusion. “Yeah. I’ll do it,” Simon repeated with a nod.

                “You want to kiss Sam?” Five asked a smile pulling on their lips, obviously knowing what Simon meant but not able to pass up the opportunity to tease.

                “What?!”

                “Ew! I don’t want to kiss him!” Sam exclaimed.

                “No! No!” Simon said quickly. “I meant I’ll take _your_ place, Sam. I’ll kiss Five.” And before anyone had a chance to react, Simon – clad only in his briefs – stood up and crossed the small room in two strides to come nearly face-to-face with Five.

                “Woah! Hang on!” Sam exclaimed, wedging himself in between Simon and a wide-eyed Five. “It’s _my_ dare. I wanna do it!”

                “Oh, you _want_ to…” Sara chuckled.

                “I mean…. It’s _my_ dare,” Sam said, backpedaling as a light blush colored his cheeks. “I have to do it.”

                “You don’t _have_ to. You can pass,” Eugene offered, his tone teasing.

                “You’d just have to take your clothes off,” Simon chuckled, stepping back.

                “You and Sara are the _only_ ones playing it that way!” Jody snorted.

                “Five, come here,” Sam said, determined, as he held out his hand. Five took it hesitantly, and he pulled them to their feet as they faced each other. Sam smiled nervously at Five for a moment.

                Five felt their breath catch in their throat as they watched Sam gaze at them, his warm brown eyes locking onto theirs and then trailing their way down to their lips. Five tried not to blush as they began to imagine what his lips would feel like on theirs.

                Five froze as they felt Sam place his hands gently on their hips, pulling them closer. While Five’s brain began to haze over, a hush overtook the little tent as Sam leaned down slightly, closing the small gap between them.

                The kiss was gentle and soft, but it touched something deep within Five. Sam’s lips were warm as they radiated electric sensations throughout Five’s body. Five felt their knees begin to shake lightly, but before they could give out completely, Sam pulled away slightly.

                Sam’s eyes opened slowly and met Five’s gaze immediately. He smiled tenderly, his cheeks a deep pink that matched what Five felt their own cheeks to look like.

                “Wow…” Eugene said, breaking the spell that had captured both Sam and Five. They both turned to their audience, having momentarily forgotten that they weren’t the only two people in the room.

                “I want to kiss someone,” Maggie murmured.

                “I’m right here,” Simon followed up quickly as Maggie rolled her eyes.

                “That was so _romantic_ ,” Jody sighed dreamily, leaning her head on her hand. “I want a boyfriend!”

                “I’m single,” Simon said, winking at Jody.

                “Pass,” she huffed.

                “Well, you don’t have to be rude about it!”

                Five watched Jody and Simon argue in a daze. Their head was still spinning from that kiss. Shyly, Five peeked at Sam out of the corner of their eye. He seemed to be just as stunned, but must have felt Five’s eyes on him because he turned to them and smiled bashfully.

                Five watched as Sam studied them for a moment with a satisfied smile then took a step closer to them and breathed, “Five, I…”

                “Sam! You have to dare someone!” Simon said, causing both Sam and Five to jump slightly then grab onto each other for support. With a riled look at Five, Sam turned his attention to the group with a sigh.

                “Who hasn’t gone yet?”

                “Everyone has,” Sara answered.

                “Really?” Five asked.

                “Yeah. If you two stopped flirting with each other for two minutes, you would have known that,” Rajit chuckled.

                “Jack’s already went?” Sam asked, ignoring Rajit’s comment, even though his face was now bright red.

                “Yeah. I dared you, ‘member?” Jack replied with a knowing giggle.

                “Oh, yeah… Okay, uh. Sara, truth or dare?” Sam asked.

                “Dare!” She replied, emboldened.

                “Uh… I dare you to…” Sam took in her state of dress, then began to laugh. “I dare you to run around the quad naked.”

                “Sam!” Five exclaimed, shocked and amused that _that_ was the dare he went with.

                “What? Either she does it, or she has to take off the last bit of clothing she has on, in which case, she’d be in the same situation,” Sam explained through light laughter and an innocent expression.

                “You could have dared her to do something easy,” Five suggested. “Like take another shot of whiskey.”

                The proud look on Sam’s face quickly changed to confusion. “Oh…yeah… Why didn’t I think of that?”

                “Prolly cuz your brain’s stuck on that kiss you planted on Five,” Maggie said in a rushed laugh. Five chuckled, finally coming to terms with the fact that they will probably have a permanent blush on their face from now on.

                Sam turned back to Sara. “Sorry… I can retract…”

                “It’s okay,” Sara chuckled as she got to her feet. “All right, I’ll do it, but I have one stipulation.”

                “What’s that?” Jody asked, amazed and probably as shocked as Five was that Sara actually agreed to the crazy dare.

                “I want to race Simon,” Sara said, turning to him with a smug look. “You think you can beat me?”

                “Oh, you know I can, hunny,” Simon said, raising an eyebrow.

                “Fine. It’s a race then.” She removed her last pieces of clothing, then looked at Janine and winked. “This is for you, de Luca.” Returning her attention to Simon, she said, “Lose your shorts and let’s go!”

                “You’re on!” Simon jumped to his feet, peeled off his briefs, and followed Sara out of the tent with the rest of the group filing out eagerly – Janine the first of the bunch. Sam and Five remained in the tent, the sudden silence oddly deafening.

                “We should probably go…” Five started.

                “Yeah…” Sam said quickly, turning to face Five fully. “You think we should stop them?” His cheeks still held a light color.

                “Eh… It’s late enough,” Five replied trying to hold back a smile. “I’m sure no one else is up to see...”

                “Then let’s go watch,” Sam said in a chuckle. He held out his hand, and Five smiled. “My money’s on Sara.”

                “Oh, mine too,” Five agreed as they exited the tent, hand in hand.


End file.
